Solar Panels - Removable?

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Ivor Windybottom

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I'm looking at adding solar panels to our roof. It's clay-tiled, no issues at present but may need attention within the likely lifespan of the panels - the hip tiles probably need replacing soon, and I'd like to have the chimneys removed at some point.

The obvious answer would be to do the work before the panels are added. But the solar surveyor said it's not a big deal as they can be unplugged and removed then put back in future if necessary.

Is this true or salesman-speak?
 
It get the work done first. Whilst panels have to be removable to allow for maintenance or failure it is two different skill sets between roofer and solar panel installer. It may also invalidate the warranty on the panels if such are moved by untrained person.

Would the roofer also replace the anti bird screening at edges of the solar panels.
 
Great, thanks for the blunt replies! Confirms common sense and what I originally thought.

It just makes things more complicated, as there may be a lot to do, I suspect one of those jobs that gets bigger once you start, could end up with a complete re-roof, hopefully re-using the existing tiles.

Take a deep breath and go for it. Then at least it's all done until I'm dead!
 
So mixed opinions then! I'll try to go for the repair-first option, but if it's going to be a nightmare to organise then will see what's involved in removing them later. It always seems to be a right pain when you try to get different trades to work together, but I'd probably get a roofer sucking through his teeth if the solar panels are already there later.
 
I would definitely get the works done before. Delaying the solar installation by a few weeks/months will not make much difference in your payback, but getting scaffolding up twice can add a year. I had roof works done the week before the panels were installed, if you plan early it is perfectly doable. I live in a terrace and all the scaffolding had to be carried through the house to the backside, I could not imagine wanting that a second time. Also, the roofer might not feel confident shutting the system down (although you probably will have todo that) or navigating on a roof with rails and clips all in the way.
 
I don't have experience of solar, but I do have a background in electronics, I know enough to know that you can't switch them off. Unless you do it at night then they will be powered.

My huge preference is to do things in the sensible order. I just wondered whether I was being needlessly fussy.

The solar company are going to scaffold just one elevation (of many, it's a bungalow with a very complicated shape), so scaffold re-use probably isn't relevant. Daft as it sounds, it probably makes sense to get it all scaffolded, do the repairs, take it all down and stop paying for it, then let the solar people put up whatever they need.
 
They can absolutely be unplugged, removed and then replaced. However, there is obviously a cost associated with doing this.
 
Lower said:
They can absolutely be unplugged, removed and then replaced.
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The panels will be producing voltages that will be hazarous.

quoting from https://www.thefpa.co.uk/news/photovoltaics-and-fire

The primary risks associated with solar panels are electric shock and electrocution. As long as solar panels are exposed to light, they will continue to produce potentially lethal amounts of direct current (DC) electricity, known within the industry as the ‘DC Danger Zone’. This means anyone operating near a solar panel system during daylight hours is always engaging with live electrical equipment.

To put the risk of solar panels into perspective, a domestic 230-volt AC power outlet is usually rated at 10 amps and provides 2,300 watts of power. The average size of a residential solar PV installation in the UK is 4 kilowatts, usually configured in multiple strings of up to 600 volts per string.
 
bernardgreen said:
The panels will be producing voltages that will be hazarous.

quoting from https://www.thefpa.co.uk/news/photovoltaics-and-fire

The primary risks associated with solar panels are electric shock and electrocution. As long as solar panels are exposed to light, they will continue to produce potentially lethal amounts of direct current (DC) electricity, known within the industry as the ‘DC Danger Zone’. This means anyone operating near a solar panel system during daylight hours is always engaging with live electrical equipment.

To put the risk of solar panels into perspective, a domestic 230-volt AC power outlet is usually rated at 10 amps and provides 2,300 watts of power. The average size of a residential solar PV installation in the UK is 4 kilowatts, usually configured in multiple strings of up to 600 volts per string.
Click to expand...
You can cover the panel to stop it generating voltage.
 
Ivor Windybottom said:
The solar company are going to scaffold just one elevation (of many, it's a bungalow with a very complicated shape), so scaffold re-use probably isn't relevant. Daft as it sounds, it probably makes sense to get it all scaffolded, do the repairs, take it all down and stop paying for it, then let the solar people put up whatever they need.
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Might be case dependent. Solar installers do not force you to use their scaffolders, so you need to check if their quote included the cost of scaffolding. My installer offered it, but I organised scaffolding on my own and saved GBP 850 for a 12 week hire, so not an insignificant amount. The 12 weeks were more then plenty to have roofers come around and fix some roof items first. I told my solar company upfront that I am having roof repairs done first and there is a chance that we might need to push back the install date.

As for the terminals, they are all weather protected, but if unplugged they are not normally sealed on their own. But to be honest I think you are focusing on the wrong detail here.. all significant points for this have already been raised above.
 
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